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.......she captured our trip on film

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Last 2 slideshows from Ethiopia Email me for link to others-alexander@integrity.com

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Saturday, May 31, 2008

Fight Raiders Fight!!

I learned shortly (immediately, really) after meeting my dear spouse, that his family has quite a love affair with Texas Tech University!  Moody and I met at a Cotton Bowl event in Dallas.  My dad sat on the board for SMU and his dad for Texas Tech.  We have many funny stories about the times I realized that they were NOT your average fans--- lets just say that the entire family, generations of Alexander's, have graced the campus in Lubbock and they are loyal to their alma mater!

Why you ask am I writing this post just after our wonderful referral news?? As you know we were so sad over the loss of W and B and we were surprised to receive the news of this little baby boy so soon.(pleasantly, I might add)  Our hearts were very guarded and the Lord gave us this little gift to show us His sense of humor and that He is in the details.

We got the call and then she sent us pictures.  I had a decent sized wall around my heart until I saw his face and then his outfit.........my friends, he was wearing a Texas Tech outfit.  Big beautiful eyes, curly hair, squeezable cheeks and a double T on his chest.  4.5 million orphans in Ethiopia and God chose to put a Tech shirt on our son.  God is good.

Go Raiders.  



Thursday, May 29, 2008

REFERRAL!!!

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."  Lamentations 3:22-24

We received the referral of a precious baby boy yesterday! We are overwhelmed at His goodness to our family.  This looks nothing like we thought it would look when we started the process over a year ago, but it is His plan, and we rest in that.

God is in the details!! I will post more about it later.  

We are praying for a quick court date so we can travel to get our little man soon.  We would be grateful if you would do the same. :)

He is amazing, just beautiful!  Trust me.



Monday, May 26, 2008

cousins camp

We just returned from our annual Alexander Family Cousins Camp! This was the 10th anniversary and everyone was able to make it this year. It was fun as always. The Lord blessed me when I married into this family. It is always crazy with kids running around everywhere, but we love being together out there at the farm.

The whole gang- minus Moody, me, Hill and Wick as we were at a baseball game.

Enjoying a yummy dinner!

Hanging out!

Ave at church

Sweet tears praying for our family and W and B

Standing "O's" for everyone as they received their ribbons. :)

Hill and Jake

Thursday, May 22, 2008

higher

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

This is a verse that my sister gave to me last week.  It has given me comfort as I am reminded that my finite mind can't begin to comprehend the mind of the Lord.  We don't see the big picture, but He does.  We also know that we may not have any more clarity this side of heaven, but that too is o.k.  We are humbled by His sustaining grace through this difficult season. 

We took last weekend "off" as a family.  Moody had a business trip that he cancelled, we told the boys baseball coaches they wouldn't be there to play and we took off for the ranch.  It was so good to be together as a family in the quiet of the country.  It gave us time to think, pray and talk about what to do next.

We trust in the Lord and know that He will make this path clear for our family!




We are rejoicing with the Fournet family! They received their referral yesterday for 11 month old twins. :)

Friday, May 16, 2008

be still

You all are amazing! We feel so loved and cared for by so many right now.  Each and every comment has overwhelmed me.  I know that many people are standing in the gap for us right now and we feel it.  Praying on the phone, reading encouraging emails, receiving some gorgeous flowers, getting "I'm just calling to check on you" phone calls, "I have been there and know how you feel" phone calls - all from this crazy blog world.  Thank you. 

Where are we?  We are grieving.  We are confused.  We feel far away from Ethiopia, but are still 100% convinced that our children are there.  We don't know what the next step is right now and we are praying for clarity in the decision making process.

We want the best for these two precious kids that the Lord gave us for a short time.  While we thought they were to come here and be ours forever, we are starting to see that His plan was different.  I don't know if we were allowed the privilege to pray for them and to love them for a time until they were united with more of their family.  We do know that we want His best for them and I have such a hard time thinking that staying there is the answer.  We may not ever have all of the answers that we want and we are dealing with that as well.

I don't mean to be cryptic at all.  I know I love to read a blog entry that answers all of my questions and I wish that I could provide more info right now.  We don't have much and once I have more, hopefully I will be able to share it.  We have someone in ET right now trying to find out more details and pray that this will bring some clarity to our family.

The kids are doing better.  Telling them was one of the hardest things that Moody and I have done.  They really don't understand!  They love these two so much and just wanted them to come home.  It has been a huge example to them of trusting the Lord in really hard circumstances.  We keep reminding them that God is good.  That He is no less good because W and B won't be coming home.  He is no less good when we are sad.  He is always good, He is always loving and He always wants what is ultimately for our good and His glory!  (Ok, so as I'm teaching them, I am reminding myself because this is hard!!)

We feel called to just sit and be still right now.  My personality is to want to make knee jerk reactions and move forward.  The Lord is telling us to sit, be still and trust that He will lead us to make the next move on this adoption journey.  

Tracie called to check on me yesterday and felt led to share with me this devotional entry. How perfect.

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD ... Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage. (Psalm 27:13-14 NASB)

Do not despair!

Oh, how great the temptation is to despair at times! Our soul becomes depressed and disheartened, and our faith staggers under the severe trials and testing that come into our lives, especially during times of bereavement and suffering. We may come to the place where we say, "I can not bear this any longer. I am close to despair under these circumstances God has allowed. He tells me not to despair, but what am I to do when I am at this point?"

What have you done in the past when you felt weak physically? You could not do anything. You ceased from doing. In your weakness, you leaned on the shoulder of a strong loved one. You leaned completely on someone else and rested, becoming still, and trusting in another's strength.

It is the same when you are tempted to despair under spiritual afflictions. Once you have come close to the point of despair, God's message is not, "Be strong and courageous" (Josh 1:6), for He knows that your strength and courage have run away. Instead, He says sweetly, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10)

Hudson Taylor was so weak and feeble in the last few months of his life that he told a friend, "I am so weak I can not write. I can not read my Bible. I cannot even pray. All I can do is lie still in the arms of God as a little child, trusting Him." This wonderful man of God, who had great spiritual power, came to the point of physical suffering and weakness where all he could do was lie still and trust.

This is all God asks of you as His dear child. When you become weak through the fierce fires of affliction, do not try to "Be strong". Just "be still, and know that (He is) God" And know taht He will sustain you and bring you through the fire.

God reserves His best medicine for our times of deepest despair.

Be strong and take heart. Psalm 27:14

Be strong, He has not failed you

In all the past,

And will He go and leave you

To sink at last?

No, He said He will hide you

Beneath His wing;

And sweetly there in safety

You then may sing.


Tuesday, May 13, 2008

heartbreaking turn

No one ever said that International Adoption was easy, and we are here to testify that statement to be true.

We got some news today that our precious W and B will most likely not be coming home to our family.  We are devastated, but God is good and He is faithful.

We would appreciate your prayers.


Sunday, May 11, 2008

happy mothers day

Thanks for a good Mother's Day laugh, Laurie!!  

Friday, May 9, 2008

battle station goodness

Head on over to congratulate my girl Jamie on her referral!  She found out yesterday that she has a 2 year old son. He is so cute, and has big squeezable cheeks! We are very excited for Jamie, Mike and Delaney.  



Wednesday, May 7, 2008

143 million

“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”

Forest E. Witcraft

Can you wrap your brain around the number 143 million? This will help put it in perspective. I got this from Ellie's blog. Thank you. :)


Tuesday, May 6, 2008

red letters campaign

This is exciting! I have recently gotten to know Wendi via the blog world.  She has an amazing heart for Jesus and is committed to the command to be the hands and feet of Christ.  Wendi and her husband, along with two other couples, have started the Red Letters Campaign.  

Watch the video to see what it is all about.  



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"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from becoming polluted by the world." James 1:27
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